Members Present: : Rebecca Cape, Diane Dallis, Erika Dowell, Marion Frank-Wilson, Cecile Jagodzinski, Elizabeth Johnson, Jian Liu, Frank Quinn, Andrea Singer, Hariette Hemmasi for Suzanne Thorin, Nona Watt

Guests: Julie Bobay, Mary Popp, Sylvia Turchyn

1. Minutes: Review of the minutes of the October 1, 2003 was deferred until the December Bloomington Library Faculty Council meeting.

2. Peer Review Committee: Dowell announced the names of the members of the Peer Review Committee: Angela Courtney (SALC), Mary Davidson (Music), Bob Goehlert (SALC), Suzanne Mudge (Archives of Traditional Music). She will send an e-mail announcement to Bloomington librarians, and remind everyone that revisions in the procedure have taken place this year.

3. Additional Charge for Jenkins Committee: Dowell announced that Popp suggested that the Jenkins Award Committee should be charged with working with the Libraries’ Development Office to get an additional plaque since the first one is full. Dowell will provide the Jenkins Award Committee with the additional charge.

4. Faculty Standards Committee: Frank-Wilson reported that a sub-committee has been formed to advise the Assistant Dean for Human Resources about the supervisor review process, and seeks BLFC advice on whether to proceed in the absence of a permanent appointee in the Human Resources position. Johnson suggested that Dean Thorin may have already discussed a process for this year. The members agreed that the subcommittee should find out and proceed.

5. Continuing Education Committee: With the resignation of chair Linda Cantara, a chairship is open. Dowell will see whether committee member Angela Courtney would like to assume the chair, and whether volunteer Lou Malcomb would like to join as a committee member.

6. BLF and BLFC on Libraries Intranet: Dowell (BLFC) and Cape (BLF) will explore the possibilities for Intranet spaces with Popp. This iteration of the Intranet will not permit password access to drafts, so both an Internet and an Intranet site open to authorized IUB Libraries staff will be maintained for the moment. Johnson said that librarians from other institutions have benefited from open access to our library faculty documents. Others expressed interest in continuing to share BLFC documents on the Internet. Dowell, Cape, and Popp will meet to plan, and will also seek a BLFC committee as an early tester of an Intranet space.

7. Strategic Planning update: Bobay summarized the proposal process in which Deans competed for funds for new faculty lines through last year’s strategic planning process. (Seven initiatives were funded from monies generated by a $1,000 increase in fees for new students. One of those approved was the 2/3 World Project through which the Libraries were promised funding for an international studies librarian.) Other priorities financed off the top were undergraduate financial aid, and increases for graduate assistantships. A goal of the funding is to improve the faculty/student ratio. This summer the second and last round of the process was announced, and Deans were again invited to submit Commitment to Excellence (CTE) proposals by a January 15th deadline. Dean Thorin appointed a group to draft a library proposal. There is some question about whether the second round will go forward since Chancellor Brehm has resigned. Bobay reported that the libraries group is continuing to plan, and has been exploring two conceptual ideas which may provide partnership opportunities with proposals other Deans are considering. (One is a center for the study of scholarly communication and another is a center for American cinema.) The Libraries’ goal is to make new lines for librarians attractive in the context of a partnership. There were very few humanities proposals in last year’s round, and Fred Cate, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, has indicated that he hopes there will be more this year. The campus committee, on which Bobay serves, has met this year to discuss defining measures of evaluation. Recent scheduled meetings have been cancelled until the future of the process has been resolved.

BLFC members asked questions to clarify their understanding of the funding, goals, and competitive aspects of the process. LMT members have been encouraged to see whether there are opportunities for partnerships through the proposals individual departments are considering. In response to a question about projects which would increase the involvement of library components in curriculum, Bobay indicated that all the projects are aimed at “enhancing the academic reputation of the university”, and that curricular development projects did not fare well in the first round. In response to a question about other campuses, Bobay reported that IUPUI allocated funds on priorities based on a strategic plan already in place.

8. BFC meeting report: Johnson summarized news which may impact the Libraries from three meetings:

The meeting on October 7th included passage of the Indiana University Bloomington Mission and Values Statement. (This is the mission statement which Bloomington campus librarians will include in their dossiers for promotion and tenure. See http://www.indiana.edu/~bfc/index.html. Circular B-8, 2004 includes the statement.) A report of the Budget Committee, presented by Julie Bobay, indicated that salary floors increased by 2.7% last year, and the cost of living increase was $400. An administrative budget report indicated that the University is setting aside money in case some must be returned to the State this year. (State funding supplies approximately 1/3 of the Bloomington budget.)

During the October 21st meeting, Chancellor Brehm described how gifts being received now will count to the upcoming Capital Campaign. The classroom building planned for part of the Main Library Parking Lot area has been delayed. A report from Auxiliary Services Programs led to a question about how the IU Bookstore might play into E-Reserves. Other matters included a presentation on the Student Information System (SIS), and a discussion on the campus philosophy for diversity.

During the November 4th meeting President Herbert spoke to the Council. He said that the search for an interim Bloomington Chancellor is proceeding, and that he expects to announce a candidate by the BFC December meeting. He views organizational ambiguity over time as problematic, and expects to lead an organizational process of about eighteen months beginning in January (for a new person). The President said he regards Bloomington as his home. The Diversity Statement discussed on October 21st passed. The report from the Athletics Department indicated that sports almost reflect the gender balance called for in Title IX. Women outnumber men on the campus 53/47 percent, and mens’ sports outnumber womens’ sports participation by 53/47 percent.

Break: At 4:10 pm the Council took a short break, resuming at 4:20 pm.

9. Dean's Report (Thorin)

Hemmasi reported that the appointment of an interim Chancellor for eighteen months will have an impact in the Libraries, and that the appointment of Ken Gros Louis, who has worked closely with the Libraries, would be good. Current demonstrations of the New York Times (full page image) editions are leading to discussions of possible funding access through student fees or some other non-library fund. (Articles remain available for fourteen days in this edition, which is being considered for eight campuses.) The American Democracy Project, which encourages civic engagement through newspaper reading provides contextual background. The position for the systemwide database negotiator position is still being advertised. Hemmasi is drafting a position description for a Director of Public Services, for which there will be a national search.

Human Resources position: (Dean Thorin arrived, and conducted this discussion.) Last week Thorin asked members of the Agenda Committee to discuss with their respective groups the pros and cons of posting the position as a professional or a librarian position. (There is no option for a general posting.)Thorin said that the academic mission moves forward through the librarians, but the majority of library staff hold appointments in other categories. She is considering several alternatives and will discuss the posting widely. Two of the options include posting for a tenured librarian, or advertising for a PA with preference for an MLS holder. This year the Dean has taken a stronger role in meeting with untenured Bloomington librarians, and will continue to do so, whether the Human Resources position is a PA or a librarian position. Johnson spoke of our process as similar to that in academic departments with Department Chairs supervising the process. She spoke in favor of having a librarian in charge of the Promotion and Tenure process for librarians. (Sometimes Department Chairs are not tenured.) Others indicated that the role of the Human Resources position may not necessarily be linked with the mentoring process. If the mentoring was a part-time assignment, there might be different issues to consider. Dean Thorin indicated that she would like to get more feedback. Karen Sweeny has been appointed to the position in the interim, and Hemmasi will watch over things with the Faculty Standards Committee. Dowell will send a message to librarians asking for their ideas. Dean Thorin will call the Agenda Committee together for feedback from all three groups. Turchyn asked whether looking at the Human Resources Office for possible restructuring in view of vacancies might allow all the groups to be supported. Watt indicated that Law Librarians as extra system librarians are concerned only with the Promotion and Tenure aspects of the position. The discussion concluded with Thorin inviting all to see her, or send their personal opinions.

Meeting adjourned at 5:08 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Andrea Singer

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